Interactive display panel with IR diodes

• US 9,570,002 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2014
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Sakariya, Kapil V., Nauta, Tore
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang-Hurst, Kathy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yeung, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US14/307,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20150364107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/04 Structural and physical details of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0809 Several active elements per pixel in active matrix panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0686 with two or more screen areas displaying information with different brightness or colours
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2358/00 Arrangements for display data security
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/148 the light being detected by light detection means within each pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/08 Details of image data interface between the display device controller and the data line driver circuit
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3225 using an active matrix

Abstract

Exemplary methods and systems use a micro light emitting diode (LED) in an active matrix display to emit light and a sensing IR diode to sense light. A display panel includes a display substrate having a display region, an array of subpixel circuits, and an array of selection devices. Each subpixel circuit includes a driving circuit to operate a corresponding infrared (IR) emitting LED in a light emission mode. Each selection device may be coupled to a corresponding sensing IR diode to operate the corresponding sensing IR diode in a light sensing mode.

Claims

1. A display panel comprising:

a display substrate having a display region;

a row of interactive pixels within the display region, each interactive pixel comprising an infrared emitting light emitting diode (IR emitting LED) and a sensing infrared diode (sensing IR diode);

a row of interactive microchips within the display region and adjacent to the row of interactive pixels, each interactive microchip including a selection device to operate a corresponding sensing IR diode in the row of interactive pixels in a light sensing mode and a subpixel circuit comprising a driving circuit to operate a corresponding IR emitting LED in the row of interactive pixels in a light emission mode;

a row of emissive pixels within the display region, each emissive pixel comprising an IR emitting LED, wherein each emissive pixel does not include a sensing IR diode;

a row of driving microchips within the display region and adjacent to the row of emissive pixels, each driving microchip includes a subpixel circuit comprising a driving circuit to operate a corresponding IR emitting LED in the row of emissive pixels.

2. The display panel of claim 1, wherein each IR emitting LED and each sensing IR diode are formed of inorganic semiconductor-based materials.

3. The display panel of claim 1, further comprising:

an additional LED in each emissive pixel, the additional LED selected from the group consisting of a red emitting LED, a green emitting LED, and a blue emitting LED; and

an additional LED in each interactive pixel, the additional LED selected from the group consisting of a red emitting LED, a green emitting LED, and a blue emitting LED.

4. The display panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a second row of interactive pixels within the display region and adjacent to the row of interactive microchips, each interactive pixel comprising an IR emitting LED and a sensing IR diode;

wherein each interactive microchip includes a second selection device to operate a corresponding sensing IR diode in the second row of interactive pixels in a light sensing mode and a second subpixel circuit comprising a second driving circuit to operate a corresponding IR emitting LED in the second row of interactive pixels in a light emission mode.

5. The display panel of claim 4, further comprising:

a second row of emissive pixels within the display region and adjacent to the row of driving microchips, each emissive pixel comprising an IR emitting LED;

wherein each driving microchip includes a second subpixel circuit comprising a second driving circuit to operate a corresponding IR emitting LED in the second row of emissive pixels in a light emission mode.

6. The display panel of claim 5, wherein:

the row of interactive pixels and the second row of interactive pixels are on opposite sides of the row of interactive microchips; and

the row of emissive pixels and the second row of emissive pixels are on opposite sides of the row of driving microchips.

7. The display panel of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of rows of interactive microchips within the display region, and a plurality of rows of driving microchips within the display region, wherein adjacent rows of interactive microchips are separated by a plurality of rows of driving microchips.

8. The display panel of claim 1, further comprising an IR sense signal line connected to the row of interactive microchips.

9. The display panel of claim 1, wherein a number of the driving microchips within the display region is more than a number of the interactive microchips.

10. The display panel of claim 1, wherein each interactive microchip has a width of 1 to 50 μ

m, and each driving microchip has a width of 1 to 50 μ

m, each IR emitting LED has a width of 1 to 20 μ

m and each IR diode has a width of 1 to 20 μ

m.

11. The display panel of claim 1, wherein each selection device is a transistor coupled to at least a sensing circuit.

17. The display panel of claim 1, wherein:

each interactive pixel further comprises an emitting diode that emits a peak wavelength within a visible light spectrum of 400 nm to 700 nm;

each interactive microchip further comprises a second driving circuit to operate a corresponding emitting diode in the row of interactive pixels in a light emission mode;

each emissive pixel further comprises an emitting diode that emits the peak; and

each driving microchip further comprises a second driving circuit to operate a corresponding emitting diode in the row of emissive pixels in a light emission mode.

18. The display panel of claim 17, wherein each interactive microchip controls a plurality of interactive pixels within the row of interactive pixels, and each driving microchip controls a plurality of emissive pixels within the row of emissive pixels.

19. The display panel of claim 18, wherein each interactive microchip controls a plurality of interactive pixels within a second row of interactive pixels, and each driving microchip controls a plurality of emissive pixels within a second row of emissive pixels.

12. A method of operating a display panel comprising:

sending a write signal to a row of driving microchips within a display region of a display substrate to operate a row of infrared emitting light emitting diodes (IR emitting LEDs) mounted to the display substrate within a row of emissive pixels adjacent to the row of driving microchips within the display region in a light emission mode;

sending a sense signal to a row of interactive microchips within the display region to operate a row of sensing infrared diodes (sensing IR diodes) mounted to the display substrate within a row of interactive pixels adjacent to the row of interactive microchips within the display region in a light sensing mode;

wherein each emissive pixel does not include a sensing IR diode;

detecting an intensity of light with the row of sensing IR diodes in the light sensing mode; and

altering a light emitted from the display panel in response to the detected intensity of light.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein operating the IR emitting LEDs in the light emission mode comprises forward biasing the IR emitting LEDs, and operating the sensing IR diodes in the light sensing mode comprises non-forward biasing the sensing IR diodes.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein non-forward biasing the sensing IR diodes comprises reverse biasing the sensing IR diodes.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein non-forward biasing the sensing IR diodes comprises zero biasing the sensing IR diodes.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein detecting an intensity of light with the sensing IR diodes comprises detecting light emitted from a source selected from the group consisting of the IR emitting LEDs, red emitting LEDs, green emitting LEDs, blue emitting LEDs, and ambient light.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

sending a write signal to the row of driving microchips cause a plurality of emitting diodes within the row of emission pixels to emit light at peak wavelength within a visible light spectrum of 400 nm to 700 nm; and

sending a write signal to the row of interactive microchips to cause a second plurality of emitting diodes within the row of interactive pixels to emit light at the peak wavelength.